Sunday, October 4, 2009

Recently I lost a family member, Michele Butare, to breast cancer. She was a wonderful mother, sister, wife, and woman, and she will be missed greatly by all that knew her. She touched the lives of so many through her amazing strength, and it is hard to believe that she is truly gone. We must do more research into fighting this horrible, painful illness. Please consider donating to the Breast Cancer Foundation to fight this disease that steals the lives of so many women every year. This website details how you could donate in her name to some of her favorite charities. We will never forget her and she will live on in our hearts forever. We miss you, Michele.

Why am I doing this?

I have been severely ill for 8 years. I was an active, healthy 26 year old emergency veterinarian loving life and my job. Everything crashed to a halt after a cat bite landed me in the hospital for a few days on IV antibiotics. Severe dizziness, fatigue, pain, and fainting were soon to follow. I had to take medical leave 3 months after I first became ill and was never able to work again.

It took more than 30 doctors, 2 years, and a trip to the Mayo clinic in Minnesota to finally get diagnosed with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, or "POTS", a type of dysautonomia. I am still severely disabled, but fighting tooth and nail to get better every day. I want this blog to be a resource for others who have chronic "mystery" diagnoses or other chronic disorders that need help organizing their life again.

Bear with me on this blog because I am ill and will not be able to post as regularly as a "normal" person can!